Gender of living creatures in Spanish

Learn about the gender of living creatures in Spanish

In Spanish, you can predict the gender of living creatures.

Read and listen to these examples:

El hombre es muy alto.The man is very tall.

La mujer tiene cuarenta años.The woman is forty years old.

Hay un gato blanco en el jardín.There is a white cat in the garden.

Tengo una yegua muy bonita.I have a very beautiful mare.

In the examples above, we know the gender of these nouns because they make reference to living creatures who are either masculine or feminine. The essence of these nouns refers to its gender.
Be careful, you cannot always predict the gender of inanimated objects! Different rules apply to these cases, and are sometimes related to the noun endings, not the essence of the noun! For example, you may think that vestido (dress) is a feminine noun because it refers to feminine clothing but in fact it is masculine. 

Here is a list of nouns referring to male and female animals.

Here is a list of nouns referring to male and female members of the family

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Hay un gato blanco en el jardín.There is a white cat in the garden.
Tengo una yegua muy bonita.I have a very beautiful mare.
La mujer tiene cuarenta años.The woman is forty years old.
El hombre es muy alto.The man is very tall.
Thinking...